


Take the Moment Present as a Present for the Moment

by mizface



Category: due South
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-13
Updated: 2010-12-13
Packaged: 2017-10-13 16:11:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/139182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author’s notes:  I like song lyrics!  Title from Any Moment (Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim).  Section headers from: California Dreamin’ (Mamas and the Papas), Spring Day (Armor & Sturdevant), Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Frank Loesser), and In the Summertime (Mungo Jerry).</p><p>A multitude of thanks to Mergatrude for beta and support.  I can’t express how much she settled my nerves about this.  And thank you too to all who put together this exchange – it’s one of the highlights of my holiday season!</p>
    </blockquote>





	Take the Moment Present as a Present for the Moment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Queue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queue/gifts).



> Author’s notes: I like song lyrics! Title from Any Moment (Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim). Section headers from: California Dreamin’ (Mamas and the Papas), Spring Day (Armor & Sturdevant), Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Frank Loesser), and In the Summertime (Mungo Jerry).
> 
> A multitude of thanks to Mergatrude for beta and support. I can’t express how much she settled my nerves about this. And thank you too to all who put together this exchange – it’s one of the highlights of my holiday season!

**(All the Leaves are) All the Leaves are Brown**

Ray nodded his head toward the kitchen window.  “Jeez, he’s like a little kid,” he said with a shake of his head.

Fraser moved to the window and Ray saw him smile at the sight of Kowalski jumping around a mound of leaves, reaching out to grab at the squealing children racing around him.  Angelina, Francesca’s youngest, made a mad dash toward the pile and almost got there before being swept up and spun around, both of them laughing.

“He does seem to have as much energy as most children do,” Fraser agreed, voice full of affection.

“And the same amount of sense,” Ray added with a snort as they watched Kowalski fall into the leaves, the children throwing more on top of him as he shielded his face.

Ray turned away, moving to stir the sauce on the stove.  He tasted it, then added in the rest of the garlic and fresh oregano he’d set aside. “He doesn’t get like this up North.  Do you think he has a grudge against the leaves at home?”

“Not that I know of,” Fraser answered, amusement coloring his voice.  “I’m sure he would say it isn’t the same, and claim that American leaves hold some sort of superiority.”

“Nah,” Kowalski called out as he opened the door, “the Canadian ones just don’t know how to have as much fun.”  He was grinning hugely, his eyes bright and twinkling with happiness, his cheeks flushed with the autumn chill. 

“Hey!” Ray said, stepping in to stop Kowalski at the doorway.  He plucked a russet leaf from his hair and waved it in front of Kowalski’s face.  “You bring these in here, you’re cleaning them up.”  He was trying to sound annoyed, but based on the look Fraser was giving him, he was pretty sure it only came out as fondly exasperated.

Kowalski obviously agreed; he winked at Fraser before pulling Ray in for a brief kiss.  As he ended it, he snagged the leaf out of Ray’s hand, then stepped back out onto the porch, hands raised in surrender.  “You have saved your mom’s house from my mess.”

Ray heard Fraser bite back a chuckle as he shut the door in Kowalski’s face.  “Don’t think I don’t know you find this amusing, Benny,” he said without turning around.  “He’s a bad influence on you.”

“Ray’s made the same observation in relation to you, more than once,” Fraser responded, moving to stand behind Ray.  “It appears one of us has been a good influence on him, though,” he went on as they watched Ray stop the children on the porch.

“Attention!” they heard.  “Leaf inspection!  Line up and clean up – Nature stays outside!”

Ray leaned back against Fraser’s chest for a moment before moving back to the stove.  “He just does that so the kids will tell Ma he’s being responsible,” he grumbled.  “Like it was his idea or something.”

“Does it matter whose idea it was?” Fraser wondered, leaning past Ray to take the now-empty cutting board off the counter and move it to the sink.  Ray started to respond that _of course it did, because this was **his** mom they were talking about, not Kowalski’s_, but he stopped when he saw Fraser.  He was rinsing off the cutting board, his shirt sleeves rolled up, the steam from the water making the ends of his hair curl ever so slightly.  It wasn’t new by any means – they all took their turns at dish duty at home - but for whatever reason, a slightly mussed Benny was one of Ray’s favorite sights.

And it was one that gave him ideas he definitely couldn’t follow up on.  At least, not in his Ma’s kitchen.

Fraser turned then, and Ray could tell by the gleam in his eye that Benny knew exactly how far in the gutter his mind had gone.  He gave Ray a smile full of promise, then turned back to rinse the cutting board.

“Hey, see what you think of this.”  Ray dipped out a bit of the sauce, cupping his hand under the spoon as he carefully walked over to bring it to Fraser’s lips.  Fraser closed his eyes, focusing on the taste – Ray had seen him do it more times than he could count, with much less edible items – then opened them and nodded. 

“Very good Ray, as always.” There was a spot of sauce on the edge of his mouth, and Ray was just bringing his hand up to wipe it off when Fraser’s tongue poked out, licking the side of his mouth and Ray’s thumb together.  Fraser’s eyes darkened as Ray traced his lower lip with his thumb, then cupped Fraser’s cheek and leaned in for a slow kiss.  He chased the tomato flavor, licking it out of Fraser’s mouth. 

When he pulled back they were both a little flushed.  Ray stepped back and Fraser started to follow, but he pointed and gave Fraser his most stern glare.  “Behave.”

That got him a raised eyebrow and an, “Understood,” that plainly said _you, too_.

Ray grinned and went back to the stove.  “Pasta’s almost done, Benny.  I’ll need the sink in a minute.”  He looked at the huge pot, the sauce simmering next to it, the vegetables already in their warming dishes, and sighed.  “Nice as it is to cook for everyone, I’d forgotten how much more work it is than for just the three of us.  But it’s okay for special occasions, I guess.”

“I’m sorry we won’t be here for the holidays, Ray,” Fraser said quietly, and Ray sighed inwardly.  This again.

“Hey, I’d rather see them now then not at all,” he replied.  “And stop apologizing like the weather is all your fault.  You know as well as I do that we’d never be able to make it here for Christmas unless we’re hitching a ride with St. Nick.  And since the only guy in red I’ve seen up there is you…”  He trailed off when he realized Fraser wasn’t joking along.

“Seriously,” he said, moving next to Fraser and putting an arm over his shoulder.  “Yeah, I kind of miss seeing the kids open stuff at Christmas, but I also don’t have to get up insanely early, or rush around or deal with traffic and shoppers and whatever family drama has come up since the last get-together.  I had all that for years, remember?”  He bumped Fraser gently with his hip.  “And it isn’t like I’m not with family, just a different one.”

Fraser was quiet, but leaned into Ray, and he figured that was as good an answer as any.  A timer went off and Ray grabbed the nearest potholder.  “Bread’s done.  Which means Kowalski should be showing up any second, trying to snag a piece before dinner.  He’s worse than Dief.”

And like he’d been summoned, Kowalski appeared in the doorway.   “All cleaned off.  You need to give me a good shakedown to make sure before I come in?” he waggled his eyebrows as he sauntered in, Frannie’s kids pushing past him to run toward the family room.

Ray sighed.  It was like somebody up there had it in for him.  First Fraser looking like he did, now Kowalski just asking for Ray to wipe that smirk off his face.  But he didn’t.  He did, however, smack the back of Kowalski’s hand as he tried to dip a finger into the sauce.

“Just because you’re leaf-free doesn’t mean your hands are clean.”  He nodded toward the hall.  “Go on, wash your hands, then make sure the kids do the same.  Set a good example for once.”

“I do that, you gonna let me be a bad example later?” he asked as he headed toward the bathroom.

Ray picked up the pot and moved to drain the pasta.  “If you’re lucky, Kowalski!”

“It seems like you’ll have a surplus of bad examples to choose from, once we’re back at the hotel,” Benny leaned in and murmured, and Ray just grinned. 

It was gonna be a good night.

  
**The Snow’s Gone and it’s Nice to be Outside**

Ray smiled as he dug, feeling the dirt work its way under his fingernails.  It was nice to be out here, even if it was still a little too cold to plant anything just yet.  He figured he could work the soil some, loosen it up, pull out any roots or stray bits of weeds left over from last year’s garden.  A trickle of sweat slid down his neck, cold and sharp, sending a tiny shiver down his back.  It was sunny out, for now at least, and it was a way to put some of his excess energy to good use.

Well, it was _one_ way, he thought to himself with a wicked grin.  He and Fraser and Vecchio definitely had their own ways to work out Ray’s ya-yas.  Like a couple of nights ago, when Ben had him on his hands and knees, working him open so slow and sweet until he was ready to beg for more, harder, _anything_.  Only he couldn’t, because while Ben was behind him Vecchio was in front of him, cock moving in and out of Ray’s mouth just as slow, just as sweet as Ben’s fingers in his ass.  When they’d finally let Ray come, barely able to hold himself up on shaking arms, he’d collapsed on the bed, sated and boneless and as fucked out as he’d ever been. 

So yeah, this wasn’t near as fun, he thought as he smiled at the memory, but it was still pretty good.  Ray had always liked working with his hands, getting them dirty.  In the winter, it’s more of the grease variety as he puts snowmobile engines and generators back together.  In the fall it’s more sweat than dirt, getting the place ready for heavy snows and ice. But spring and summer, it’s this.  It’s outdoors and digging and planting, weeding and tending and watering. 

And much to Fraser and Vecchio’s surprise, he’s _good_ at it, because Mother Nature doesn’t _actually_ give him a rash.  Of course, if Vecchio’d had to pretend to be him back in Chicago, he’d have known that Ray learned gardening at his mother’s knee near as soon as he could walk.  They hadn’t had much yard to call their own, but she’d found ways to make it work, tiny gardens, windowboxes, flowerpots and hanging baskets.  From her he’d learned when to plant, what grew best in sun, in shade.  Which flowers attracted bees and butterflies, which ones kept away the more harmful insects.

True, he’d had to re-learn all that once they’d moved North, but the basics were the same.  It had been a little bit of a challenge, one that was totally worth it when he looked out to see splashes of color from their kitchen window.  Even more so to have fresh-grown vegetables on the table.

And it had become a joint project.  Fraser helped plan it out, making slight variations each year, tweaking the layout, he and Ray debating and negotiating, changing out plants that hadn’t done well for things that were hardier.  This year, Fraser was pushing for rutabagas for some unknown reason, in addition to the carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers Ray normally planted.  Whatever; if it made Fraser happy he’d do it, and Vecchio’d probably find some way to make them fairly edible. 

That was Vecchio’s main contribution to the garden project.  He was nowhere near as interested as Ray and Fraser in actually tending the garden itself, though he loved to help with the indoor starters.  He’d water them and make sure they were treated carefully, a satisfied smile on his face as the tiny green shoots sprouted up, and plants began to bud.  Once they were ready to plant outdoors, he was pretty much done until there was something ready to pick.  Finding ways to cook and preserve anything Ray grew was a task much more up his alley. 

And Dief even got into it, keeping the garden nearly rabbit-free.

Ray sat back on his haunches and looked at the patch of land he’d worked.  He’d gotten more done than he’d figured he would, but looking at how the sun was angled in the sky he probably needed to head back in soon.  He made quick work of gathering up his tools, brushing the biggest pieces of soil off them now.  He could clean them better when he got back home.

He’d take a detour, though, check up on the ostrich ferns nearby.  Fiddleheads made pretty good eating, and there’d be a lot of them ready to pick in the next month or so.  Good timing, as the last of the ones they’d canned and pickled were nearly gone.

Ray got up and did a long full-body stretch, feeling more grounded (pun intended) than he had in days.  He was once again thankful that when they’d decided on Canada over Chicago, they’d settled further south, and saved the remoteness of the cabin for times when they wanted to really get away from it all.

It was good to be back out in the springtime sun.

  
**Baby, It’s Cold Outside**

Fraser stepped around Ray and Ray on the porch.  He’d unloaded more boxes and wanted to get out and bring the last of their gear in before it got too much darker. 

“You know,” he heard Ray say as he walked away, “when most people take a vacation in the winter, they actually try to get _away_ from the cold. Go somewhere warm, maybe with a beach.  Or at least that has indoor heat.”  He shivered and rubbed his glove-covered hands over his arms, frowning as he watched his breath puff out.  Fraser heard him let out a yelp as Ray shoved past him to enter the cabin, arms loaded down with firewood. 

“You don’t want to be moved aside with force, you get your ass out of the doorway, Vecchio,” he said, and Fraser could hear the mix of irritation and affection lacing his voice.   “And you know as well as I do why we have to go somewhere that’s nowhere,” Ray went on.  Fraser could see them backlit by the lamp in the cabin.  Ray had moved from his line of sight to put down the wood, but a moment later he was near the window.  Fraser watched him take off his hat and run a gloved hand through his hair as he went on. “Anything closer to civilization and the Fraser Factor kicks in.  And much as I miss police work sometimes, that is _not_ what I want to do on our vacation.”

Fraser shook his head and started gathering the last of their things to bring inside, not needing to hear Ray’s response to that.  They teased him (good-naturedly, of course) enough to his face; no need to listen to it secondhand. 

When he got to the door, the Rays were still bickering.  Diefenbaker slipped past him and promptly went to the rug near the fireplace, ignoring his humans as he lay down with a long, tired sigh.  Fraser set down his load and shucked out of his coat, hat and gloves, hanging them all neatly by the door.

“Hey, at least you got to land with your plane,” Ray was pointing out as he stirred the kindling in the fire he’d started.  It looked good, and Fraser was pleased to see there was enough wood stacked next to the fireplace to last the night, and probably into the morning.

“Did you not hear me use the word _crash_?”  It appeared that Ray had finished sorting boxes to the rooms they belonged, and was now in the kitchen, unpacking supplies.  He’d laid his coat and scarf over a chair, the care of its placement a sharp contrast to the lump of clothing next to the fireplace.  Fraser stopped himself from going over to pick them up; Ray hated when he did things like that.  And he’d get to them in his own time, Fraser knew.

“Pushed out with no parachute,” Ray countered, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest.  “I think that beats a plane crash.  Plus, we were stranded in the middle of freaking nowhere and I almost died.”

“ _Benny_ almost died when _we_ crashed,” he answered, waving around a coffee can for emphasis.  “Trust me, that would have been a bigger loss.”

“You know,” Fraser interrupted, not at all surprised to see them start; he’d been fairly certain they hadn’t even noticed his return. “If you two didn’t want to come, you should have just said something.”

Ray and Ray just looked at him, then at each other, confusion on both their faces.  “Who said we didn’t want to be here?”

Fraser raised an eyebrow.  “If someone were to walk in here right now, they’d be worried about impending violence,” he pointed out, hiding his satisfaction at derailing them before things morphed into a full-scale argument.  “And our vacation has barely begun.  I’m not sure that bodes well for the rest of our time here.”

“Somebody who doesn’t know us might think that, maybe,” Ray scoffed, closing the cabinet door and turning to face him.  “Come on, Benny, this is how we always talk to each other.”

Ray made a face like he didn’t want to agree, then nodded with obvious reluctance.  “He’s right, you know that, Ben.”  He gave Fraser a half-smile and shrugged.  “It’s when we _don’t_ say anything that you gotta worry.”

“Like that ever happens,” Ray murmured, rolling his eyes.  Ray reached down and pulled a glove out of his pile of outerwear and threw it at him in response, but it went wide, falling near Fraser’s feet.  Ray laughed.  “Plus, with Stanley glasses-free, you know there’s no real contest,” he said.

Fraser reached down to pick up the glove, then walked over to Ray to return it before he could come up with a retort.  Ray gave him a knowing look, not at all fooled by Fraser’s means of distraction, and reached for the glove.  Fraser held onto it, grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a kiss.  He’d meant it to be brief, but Ray had other ideas, and Fraser found he had no objections whatsoever.

“Leave it to Benny to find a better use for that mouth,” he heard Ray breathe out, as he came up behind them and wrapped an arm around each man.  Ray pulled away just far enough to kiss him, and Fraser angled himself so he could lick and nip Ray’s ear at the same time.  He licked a trail down the side of Ray’s neck, and smiled as he felt him shudder.

Ray and Ray broke apart, each kissing Fraser in turn.  It was with great reluctance that he dropped his hands and moved away.

Both Rays gave him a glazed-over look for a moment, then Ray blinked, blue eyes clearing as he shook himself.  “Right, gotta finish getting things ready here, make sure we don’t freeze to death or anything because we got too distracted.”  He nodded and went back to the fire, bouncing with redirected energy.

“I’m going to finish unpacking the kitchen, fix us something quick and easy – no comments from the peanut gallery, Kowalski.” Ray pointed toward the bedroom.  “Fraser, go check and see that we have clean sheets, pillows, enough blankets, that kind of thing.  Stanley, try and make sure we aren’t going to go up in flames overnight.”

Ray looked up at that with a frown.  “Hey!”

“I’ve seen the kind of corners you cut when you think you’re getting laid, Kowalski.”

Ray grinned rakishly at that.  “But what a way to go, Vecchio.”

Ray huffed out a laugh as he opened a cabinet, and Fraser couldn’t help but smile. 

This looked to be the beginning of a very good vacation.

  
**You Can Stretch Right Up and Touch the Sky**

Dief rolled on his back, twisting back and forth to scratch a particularly persistent itch.  The grass felt cool and refreshing on sun-warmed fur, and he smiled, tongue lolling, eyes closed, sinking into the feeling of the moment.  His belly was full, and he’d even had a few cookies, begged for shamelessly from each pack member in turn, so each one thought he was the only one indulging Dief’s sweet tooth.  It had taken a lot of careful observation to pick the right moments, but it had been totally worth the effort, even on a lazy summer day like this one.

It was one of Dief’s favorite type of days, a rare day off for them all.  No chores or work, no one to hunt, no pups needing to be trained.  It was a real treat when the whole pack had free time like this, and they took advantage of it.  Given the clear skies, a picnic had seemed the most obvious choice.  They’d gone far enough from home that they’d had to drive, and Dief had thoroughly enjoyed himself, head out the window, wind blowing his fur this way and that. 

They’d had to hike a bit once they’d arrived, but no one had minded.  All three men had laughed and joked as they walked, bumping into one another, stopping to nuzzle and pet each other until Dief would remind them of the sad state of his belly.  There would be more laughter at that, and off they’d go again, Dief dancing around each of them as they walked, just as happy as they were to be together like this.

Now, much later, everyone was fed and happy.  Notes Fraser softly plucked on his guitar blended with the noises of the forest; the chirp of the birds, the breeze tickling the leaves, the shuffling of twigs and dirt as rabbits and other smaller creatures moved along in their day.  Another time Dief would have followed up on that sound, looking for a snack, or just to keep his hunting skills sharp, but today was not that kind of day.

A bit of fluff from a plant tickled his nose, and he let out a sneeze and shook his head.  Resettling, he looked over to see his pack, as content as he was.  He thought about joining them on the blankets, but settled for rolling so he faced them, head on his paws.

It was a good day.


End file.
